The Authors’ Own Words: The Prevalence of HEDIS Initiation and Engagement in Treatment among Patients with Cannabis Use Disorders in Seven U.S. Health Systems

The Authors’ Own Words:

We ask authors to describe their impressions regarding the implications of their accepted work, how their findings will change practice, and what is noteworthy about the work.

The Prevalence of HEDIS Initiation and Engagement in Treatment among Patients with Cannabis Use Disorders in Seven U.S. Health Systems

Constance Weisner, DrPH, MSW; Cynthia I. Campbell, PhD, MPH; Andrea Altschuler, PhD; Bobbi Jo H. Yarborough, PsyD; Gwen T. Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSW; Ingrid A. Binswanger, MD, MPH, MS; Rulin C. Hechter, MD, PhD; Brian K. Ahmedani, PhD, LMSW; Irina V. Haller, PhD, MS; Stacy A. Sterling, DrPH, MSW; Dennis McCarty, PhD; Derek D. Satre, PhD; & Andrea H. Kline-Simon, MS

Substance Abuse Vol. 40, Iss. 3, 2019

“This observational cohort study of 15,202 patients with a cannabis use disorder (CUD) from seven U.S. healthcare systems is the first known study to describe rates of HEDIS-defined alcohol and other drug use disorder (AOD) measures for initiation and engagement in treatment among patients with a newly diagnosed CUD. For these patients, rates of initiation and engagement were low, with considerable variation across index diagnosis setting, AOD comorbidity at index diagnosis, and patient characteristics. Greater adherence to these system-level treatment measures will likely require strong leader and provider partnerships to improve recognition of and linkage to evidence-based treatment for CUD, particularly for those patients with less AOD severity who could still benefit from treatment.“